This is a way overstuffed edition. Hang on with the tightness.
Even though “Arrested Development’s” third and final season was eligible, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association gave this year’s “best comedy” Golden Globe to “Deperate Housewives.” For the second year in a row. Marcia Cross and Eva Longoria funnier than David Cross and Jeffrey Tambor? If you say so, Hollywood Foreign Press Association! Maybe if “AD” served the HFPA tastier bacon-wrapped shrimp at one of the association’s many many junkets, “SD” would still be on the air right now. We’ll never know!
Flavor of Love: The Complete First Season is a romantic- elimination show famous for a just-rejected contestant spitting into the mouth of one of her still-in-the-running competitors. That never happens on “The Bachelor.”
“Godzilla Vs. Megalon” (1973), a sci-fi actioner about giant Lizard defending Earth from the mascot of Seatopia, is a 1991 Joel episode from the Comedy Channel, and one of the most revered of all MST3K installments. Joel and the bots host a morning show. Those who remember Joel Hodgson’s stand-up act will recognize the easy-to-make Halloween costumes. Rex Dart, Eskimo Spy, puts in an appearance. Orville Reddenbacher and his “grandson” are mocked. And the bots get new arms.
“Swamp Diamonds” (1955), a crime drama about a hot young female prison escapee and her hot young female undercover pursuer, is a 1993 Joel episode from Comedy Central. The “Stoner Spock” episode of “Star Trek” is remembered as Joel endeavors to make angry the world’s most famous Vulcanian. The Andrew Lloyd Webber Grill is introduced. Tom Servo dates Gypsy. And the U-View shows Frank an alternate universe.
“Teen-age Strangler” (1968), a mystery thriller about dating teens trying to learn the identity of a West Virginia serial murderer, is a 1993 Mike episode (only the 2nd Mike-hosted episode ever) from Comedy Central. The Frank-N-Forcer, the Waiter Baiter and “The Janitor Song” are introduced. The Burt-Loni breakup is pondered. Mike turns into the male lead’s kid brother.
“The Giant Spider Invasion” (1975), a sci-fi thriller about flesh-eating arachnids who emerge from another dimension into Wisconsin, is a 1997 Mike episode from the SciFi Channel. The entire episode features Mike and the bots trying not to be transformed into the pod people from “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”
“Mel Gibson was right, Kyle. Right now, the Jew inside of you is screaming ‘No! Those cost money! Get your money back!’ You know this to be true. Prove Mel Gibson wrong, Kyle. Do it.”
In South Park: The Complete Eighth Season, Butters is disguised as a dog after he catches a ninja throwing-star in his eye. Jimmy goes on steroids and Cartman competes in the Special Olympics. Stan and Kenny go to Mel Gibson’s Malibu home and demand their money back after seeing “Passion of the Christ.” Stan organizes a dance team after “getting served.” An executive at Catamount studios wants to have sex with Cartman in an Awesome-O robot suit. A “Michael Jefferson” moves to South Park with his son, Blanket, and lures the boys into his home with his backyard amusement park. “Time immigrants” from the year 3045 begin taking jobs away from locals. An election for new mascot pits Cartman’s “turd sandwich” against Kyle’s “giant douche.” The boys set out to destroy the “heart” of the town’s new “Wall-Mart.” Trent Boyett, whom the boys had sent to juvenile hall in preschool, has been released. The boys try to sex up their closed-circuit newscast when they start getting beat by “Close-Up Animals With a Wide-Angle Lens Wearing Hats.” Wendy’s friends all utilize Paris Hilton’s “Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset.” Following a head injury, Cartman becomes a psychic detective. Finally, a trio of mountain lion cubs learn how to perform an abortion to halt the birth of the antichrist.
Survivor X: Pulau will likely be remembered as the season with the Tribe Of One. Stephenie LaGrossa became the sole member of the Ulong tribe before it finally merged with the much more successful Koror. Though Koror voted her off in short order, producers rewarded her by casting her (and fellow Ulonger Bobby Jon Drinkard) in the subsequent “Survivor: Guatemala.” This was also the season that saw Wanda and Jonathan sent home on day two – thanks to a sudden-death schoolyard pick.
The Tick Vs. Season One is, sadly, not the complete first season. Due to rights issues (with Marvel Enterprises perhaps?), this set does not contain “The Tick Vs. The Mole Men.” But the other 12 first season episodes are here, as the weak-minded superhero takes on The Idea Men, Chairface Chippendale, Dinosaur Neil, Mr. Mental, The Breadmaster (and sidekick Buttery Pat), El Seed, Thrakkorzog, Brainchild, Pineapple Pokopo, the Proto-Clown, The League of Evil (headed by the 115-year-old Terror) and Barry “The Tick” Hubris.
Herc’s Popular Pricing Pantry (UPDATE: Cheapest TNG & DS9 Ever!!)
UPDATE!!! This just happened literally at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. Amazon just gutted the pricing of new “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and new “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” Here’s where it stands as I type this:
OK, the “Trek” price reductions, we’ve now discovered, are part of a bigger Amazon “Fall Television Sale,” which is taking up to 50% off a load of titles from Paramount and studios not called Paramount. The sale is divided into three sub-sections:
All the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” DVD sets were reissued a few months ago in slimset packages that contained the same episodes, commentaries and other extras that were in the fatsets – but for a lot less money.
Six years into the era of the season-set DVD, it’s suddenly a golden age for complete series-sets. How much will these series sets save you? It varies, but sometimes it’s pretty amazing. Some series-set math:
was eligible, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association gave this year’s “best comedy” Golden Globe to “Deperate Housewives.” For the second year in a row. Marcia Cross and Eva Longoria funnier than David Cross and Jeffrey Tambor? If you say so, Hollywood Foreign Press Association! Maybe if “AD” served the HFPA tastier bacon-wrapped shrimp at one of the association’s many many junkets, “SD” would still be on the air right now. We’ll never know!
